An adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1952 novel The Price of Salt, Carol follows the relationship between two polar-opposite women in 1950s New York: a 20-year-old working at a department store and an affluent wife trapped in an unhappy marriage. Set in the run-up to Christmas, the movie is a subtly festive film that brings a welcome alternative to the more hetero-normative ones typical of this genre.

After the first film – where Kevin McCallister’s family accidentally set off on holiday without him, leaving him to fend off two burglars alone at home – one would have thought both Kevin and his parents would do all in their power to ensure history doesn’t repeat itself. The following year, however, after a mixup at the airport whilst headed on their next Christmas vacation, Kevin finds himself stranded in the big apple and left – once again – to face the same robbers with whom he’d battled with before.

It’s hard not to love the tale of Elf – in which one of Santa’s elves, Buddy, discovers he’s the black sheep of his group and is actually human. Journeying to New York in search of his father, Buddy faces a new world that’s hectic and nonsensical but endlessly exciting, all whilst trying to inspire Christmas cheer in those around him.

Director Wong Kar-hai’s follow-up to In The Mood For Love, 2046 follows sci-fi writer Chow Mo-wan (played by Tony Leung) as he tries to move on from the love of his life with a series of romantic flings across several different Christmas Eves. Switching between the past in Hong Kong and Singapore and the future of 2046, this melancholic film beautifully captures the holiday blues, offering an alternative to more traditionally chipper Christmas movies.